A Canadian man who was caught flying into Aberdeen Airport with almost 33kg of cannabis in his suitcases has been jailed.
Pawlo Albanskyj, 29, from Mississauga near Toronto, was stopped by Border Force officers as he arrived on a flight from Toronto via Amsterdam.
He had been due to fly to Birmingham but was re-routed to Aberdeen, following flight delays.
When Albanskyj was asked what his suitcases contained, he claimed it was filled with clothes belonging to himself and his sister, who he was planning to visit in Slough.
But inside were just two t-shirts and £295,000 worth of herbal cannabis that had been packed into 10 individual plastic bags and further subdivided into smaller packets.
Albanskyj was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
The Canadian citizen previously appeared at the court last month and pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis on December 11 2022 before judge Lady Haldane.
An examination of his phone showed that Albanskyj had been acting as a courier of the drugs in return for payment.
Lady Haldane told Albanskyj that he had to spend time in custody for his actions.
She said: “Drug use can cause societal problems and misery to those who become addicted to them.
“Those who are involved in this trade think nothing of these consequences.
“Given the quantity and the amount of drugs involved, there is no other suitable disposal in this case other than the imposition of a substantial custodial sentence.”
Suitcases were opened and searched
At the previous hearing, prosecutor Steven Borthwick KC told the judge of what Albanskyj said when he was stopped by UK Border Agency staff.
He said : “The accused confirmed that he had packed both suitcases himself, that he was fully aware of the contents and that he was not carrying anything for anybody else.
“The accused also confirmed that he was aware that it was illegal to import controlled drugs, firearms and indecent or obscene materials into the UK.
“The padlocks were cut from both suitcases by Border Force Officers and the suitcases were opened and searched.
“The cases were found to contain two t-shirts and a large quantity of herbal material, packed into individual bags.
“When asked what the herbal material was, the accused said ‘marijuana’. The accused was then arrested.”
‘Cannabis has the potential to realise £295,000’
Mr Borthwick told the court that Albanskyj landed in Aberdeen on a flight from the Dutch city just after 10am.
He was stopped and questioned by Borders Force officials who wanted to know why he had come to the UK.
Mr Borthwick said: “When asked what was in the suitcases, the accused said it was clothes belonging to himself and his sister.
“When informed that his luggage was to be searched, the accused said that the padlocks on the case belonged to his sister and that he did not know the code to open them.
“He claimed to send a text message to his sister for the codes but said he did not receive a reply.
“The bags of herbal material were later examined. It was tested and found to be cannabis.
“The Police Scotland STOP Unit have advised that the cannabis has the potential to realise £295,000.”
Mr Borthwick told the court that police officers seized Albanskyj’s mobile phone and discovered that he had been using an encrypted messaging app called Threema.
The advocate depute said that officers who looked at the accused’s phone found out that he was going to be paid 8,000 Canadian Dollars (£4,937) for making the trip to Scotland.
Mr Borthwick added: “Examination of the messages disclosed that the accused had been using the application to communicate that day with an unknown individual who was clearly the organiser of the importation.
“The messages show regular contact between the accused and the organiser, involving instructions for travel, logistics and some discussion regarding payment.
“It is accepted that the accused was acting in the role of courier in return for payment.”
‘He was a small cog in the enterprise’
Mr Borthwick told the court that Albanskyj – who observed proceedings via video link from prison – had no previous convictions in the UK.
The National Crime Agency contacted law enforcement agencies in Canada and found that he had no history of offending in his homeland.
On Wednesday, the court heard that Albanskyj became involved in the drugs trade to help his family who had fallen into financial difficulty.
His solicitor advocate Christopher MacFarlane said his client was a courier and had a minor role in the drugs trade.
He added: “He was a small cog in the enterprise.”
‘No attempts to conceal what was inside’ suitcases
NCA senior officer Peter Taylor said: “Pawlo Albanskyj brazenly carried a significant amount of drugs in his bags with no attempts to conceal what was inside.
“The work of the OCP Scotland team meant that these clearly prepared drugs never ended up at their intended destination in England.
“We will continue our work in our partnership with Police Scotland, and working closely with Border Force, to target and disrupt drug couriers and the gangs behind them.”
Detective Sergeant Stuart Boyle said: “Albanskyj’s conviction and sentencing is another example of our ongoing commitment to target those who try to distribute large amounts of controlled drugs for financial gain.
“This remains an absolute priority for the Organised Crime Partnership and its partners.
“I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public that information from our local communities is an essential part of our investigation process, as we work to disrupt the drugs trade and bring those responsible to justice.”
‘Justice does not stop at the border’
David Green, Procurator Fiscal for homicide and major crime, said: “Justice does not stop at the border.
“The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is committed to protecting our society from harm and will continue to work with enforcing authorities using every avenue available to bring criminals to justice in Scotland.
“We will target all those who threaten communities across Scotland, not only drug couriers but also those who direct their movements.
“With each case of this kind, we can help reduce the harm these drugs do to those communities.”
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.
